Labour is being urged to push back against Conservative and Reform Party opposition to its landmark expansion of workers’ rights, after a major poll revealed overwhelming public backing for key measures—including a ban on zero-hours contracts and day-one sick pay.
The TUC survey, the largest of its kind with 21,000 respondents, found that a majority of voters across all political parties—especially those who backed Reform UK—support the government’s proposed employment rights bill. The findings suggest that Labour has an “indisputable mandate” to push forward with the legislation despite criticism from business lobbyists and right-wing media.
The bill, which also includes strengthened parental leave and enhanced flexible working rights, has been described as the government’s most popular policy among both Reform and Green voters. The TUC accused Nigel Farage’s party of “defying its own voters” by opposing the bill, while Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has made the bill’s potential impact on businesses a central attack line against Keir Starmer.
However, internal frustrations are reportedly growing within Labour ranks, with some MPs concerned that Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are hesitant to promote the bill too strongly for fear of alienating business leaders.
Anneliese Midgley, Labour MP for Knowsley, said the party should not hold back: “We shouldn’t be shy in talking about improving employment rights—it is one of our best weapons in the fight against the populist right. Reform are all talk, they have no plan for working people. It’s this Labour government that is delivering for working people—and we need to shout about it.”
Widespread support across political lines
The TUC poll found that 72% of UK voters support banning zero-hours contracts, including two-thirds of those who voted Conservative or Reform in the 2024 general election. That figure is even higher among those who currently identify as Conservative or Reform supporters, with only 15% opposing the ban.
Similarly, three-quarters of voters back statutory sick pay from day one, including 66% of Reform supporters. More than two-thirds also support stronger protections against unfair dismissal and easier access to flexible working.
The constituency-level analysis, conducted using multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP), found majority support for these policies in every part of the UK—including in seats held by prominent Reform figures. In Nigel Farage’s Clacton constituency, 70% of voters support banning zero-hours contracts and introducing day-one sick pay. The same level of support is seen in Reform leader Richard Tice’s Boston and Skegness seat, Lee Anderson’s Ashfield, and Rupert Lowe’s Great Yarmouth.
There is also significant backing in key Conservative-held areas, including in Kemi Badenoch’s constituency, where 70% of voters back both policies—despite her vocal criticism of them at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, accused Reform of siding with exploitative employers rather than workers: “Reform is defying its own voters and constituents on workers’ rights. Reform MPs voted against the employment rights bill at every stage. Nigel Farage and Reform aren’t on the side of working people—they’re on the side of bad bosses, zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire.”
With the bill expected to return to the Commons for its final vote in late February, Nowak also warned Labour against watering down its proposals under pressure from business groups or right-wing opposition. “Opponents of the bill are a world away from the British public,” he said. “These policies are massively popular right across the country, and across the political spectrum.”
